CTMID Events and Announcements
"INFLUENCE OF VECTOR TRANSMISSION ON THE IMMUNE RESPONSE TO LEISHMANIA"
Thursday, March 28, 2013, 12:00 noon
Lubbock ACB100
David Sacks, Ph.D.
Chief, Intracellular Parasite Biology Section
Laboratory of Parasidic Diseases National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Dr. David Sacks is the Chief of Intracellular Parasite Biology Section, Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases, NIAID, NIH. He obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard University for studies on immune responses to chlamydial infections. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institute for Medical Research in London (Mill Hill) studying immune suppression in African trypanosomiasis, he joined the Laboratory of Parasitic Diseases in 1980. Dr. Sacks’ major areas of research include: 1) Study of Leishmania and sand fly molecules controlling the development of transmissible infections in the vector; 2) Development of vaccines against leishmaniasis and their evaluation using infected sand fly challenge; 3) Mechanisms of acquired resistance and those controlling persistent infection; and 4) Mechanisms underlying pathogenesis and immunosuppression in human visceral leishmaniasis and development of immune-based therapies.
During his illustrious career, Dr. Sacks has received numerous awards including the NIH Merit Award, the Chalmer's Medal from the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine for Outstanding Contributions to Research in Parasitology; the NIH Director’s Award, and the Bailey Ashford Medal from the American Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene for distinguished work in the field of Tropical Medicine. He was elected to the American Academy of Microbiology in 2007. Dr. Sacks’ group has published well over 100 papers in prestigious journals including Cell, Nature, Science, and PNAS.